Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 153

By the time they got home, it was completely dark. Zhao Da'e was carrying four steamers of dumplings, which he was bringing for his cousins ​​Zhou Chunwen and Zhou Chunhong.

On the way, Zhao Dage also bought several kilograms of anhydrous cake, a bag of loose instant noodles, and some biscuits. She planned to eat them if she got hungry later that night. She didn't buy much else; that was all the money she had, and she had many other expenses to save for the future, so she couldn't be extravagant.

As soon as he arrived at Zhou Yuren's house, he bumped into someone. Zhao Da'e fell flat on his backside with a thud. Looking up, he saw that it was Shi Zhihui.

Zhao Da'e asked in confusion, "Fourth Aunt, why did you come in such a hurry?"

Shi Zhihui had just arrived at Zhou Yuren's house in a hurry, so she accidentally bumped into Zhao Da'e. She helped Zhao Da'e up, looking somewhat apologetic, and asked, "Did you hurt yourself?"

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm wearing thick clothes." Zhao Da'e grinned.

Hehehe. My cousin's matchmaker has come knocking! Looks like a happy occasion is just around the corner. Zhao Da'e originally thought he'd have to wait until next spring, but Shi Zhihui came before the new year.

Her arrival indicates that at least Old Ma's side intends to finalize the marriage between Little Fatty Ma Huaihua and her cousin Zhou Tianfu before the new year.

Then Zhao Da'e shouted loudly, "Uncle, Uncle! My fourth aunt is here! Come out for a moment!"

Zhou Yuren was inside when he heard that Shi Zhihui had arrived. He rushed out without even putting on his shoes, only to be stopped halfway by Zhou Chunwen, who had also come out: "Dad, what are you doing? Didn't you hear Da'e nagging you about how worried you are? Why don't you put your shoes on?"

Zhou Yuren gave an awkward smile, then hurriedly went back into the house, put on a pair of cloth shoes, and came out again.

From a distance, she smiled and said, "Oh dear, your period's here!"

Zhou Chunwen also came out, his face beaming with smiles, and kept urging Fourth Aunt to come inside quickly.

Shi Zhihui was very pleased and said with a smile, "Chunwen is a young lady now. I'll introduce you to a good family another day."

Zhou Chunwen's smiling face instantly turned to tears: Damn it, I just pretended to greet her, and she... immediately wanted to find me a husband? I'm only sixteen, what husband do I need!

From a traditional perspective, although Zhou Chunwen is relatively young, only sixteen, she is still a child. However, this is different from later generations; early marriage and childbearing are common here. While this is somewhat better in cities, it is more prevalent in remote rural areas, where this relatively "outdated custom" is more severe. In extremely remote villages like Dongtaizi Village, many boys and girls marry at seventeen or eighteen. For example, Zhou Chunwen's uncle's eldest brother married at seventeen, had a child by eighteen, and is now only twenty-three or twenty-four, with a child old enough to run errands. Therefore, theoretically, Zhou Chunwen is no longer a young girl and has indeed reached the age for marriage.

However, Zhou Chunwen didn't want to rush into marriage. She figured she should be in her early twenties before getting married, and people said that children born to older women were more robust. Zhou Chunwen was thinking about having a strong son, so she felt she needed to be at least in her early twenties before getting married. Therefore, she wasn't impressed by Shi Zhihui's words, but since Shi Zhihui was a guest, she didn't dare to object.

Zhou Chunwen's father, Zhou Yuren, was so worried about his eldest brother Zhou Tianfu's marriage that he couldn't sleep for nights on end. He had tried to persuade him, but to no avail. His father's extremely conservative and traditional thinking—carrying on the family line—seemed to only bring him peace of mind once his elder brother Zhou Tianfu was married. Zhou Chunwen also hoped his brother would get married soon; otherwise, he felt Zhou Yuren might not live past sixty and would become obsessed with his own desires.

Zhou Chunwen hadn't read many books and didn't know what the outside world was like. All she knew was that if her older brother got married, the family would have a new member, and their future would be brighter.

Everyone has their own way of living, and everyone has their own worldview. Like a series of old wells, each person is limited by their own limited perspective, making it difficult to distinguish who is right and who is wrong.

Zhou Chunwen felt that if his older brother had a child, his parents would have to work themselves to the bone. Only with a child would there be hope, and only then would they have something to look forward to.

After all, the three siblings were basically ruined. Combined, they couldn't even reach the required grade for high school graduation; it was simply hopeless. Zhou Chunwen graduated from third grade, Zhou Tianfu from the first year of junior high, and Zhou Chunhong was even worse off—she didn't attend school at all. So, no matter what, the siblings were useless, with little hope left. All the family's hopes rested on the next generation.

"Fourth Aunt, come inside and sit down. It's terribly cold outside," Zhou Chunwen invited.

The group then went inside.

Zhao Da'e first put the biscuits away, but he didn't like to hide the waterless cake. He took it out directly as a snack, put it on a plate, and served it to Shi Zhihui. Zhou Chunwen also washed some apples and some frozen dates. These dates were given to Zhao Da'e by Ni Shi. Zhao Da'e didn't really like them, so he ate a few and gave them all to Zhou Chunwen. Now they were perfect for entertaining Shi Zhihui.

Sunflower seeds, pine nuts, and peanuts were also served.

Shi Zhihui didn't stand on ceremony and told Zhou Chunwen to make tea: "Niece, pour some tea. It's too cold outside, have some tea to warm yourself up."

Zhou Chunwen quickly brewed tea, then found a teacup, washed it with baking soda, tidied it up, and brought out the teapot to pour water for Shi Zhihui.

Zhou Yuren smiled and agreed, "That's right. It's almost Laba Festival, and it's freezing cold. They say on Laba Festival, two or three people will freeze to death. This is no joke; it's been really cold these past few days. I have to give the cows hot water now. If you put anything outside, it'll freeze solid in less than half an hour."

Shi Zhihui's face was red from the cold, and her hands were frozen too. She warmed her hands with a teacup: "Relative, you should thank me. When I went back last time, I told my brother-in-law about this. My brother-in-law and sister had no objections. I also asked Huaihua. Huaihua had no objections either. It seems like good things are about to happen for both of your families."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuren's face immediately lit up with a broad smile. If there weren't outsiders present, Zhou Yuren would have dared to stand on the rooftop, grab a megaphone, and announce to all the villagers of Dongtaizi Village: "Attention all villagers! Attention all villagers! I, Zhou Yuren—am getting my son married! My son is getting married! Go ahead and be envious and jealous!"

Everyone talks about when a person is happiest, and Zhou Yuren feels that today is one of his happiest days.

The ancients said that the wedding night was one of the four great joys in life.

Being able to find a wife for his son was Zhou Yuren's biggest dream and his destiny in his busy life.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

Zhou Yuren danced around, using exaggerated body language to express his joy.

Zhou Chunwen quickly tugged at Zhou Yuren and whispered, "Dad, calm down. It's not even close to being settled yet, why are you in such a hurry?"

Zhou Yuren replied, "My relatives all said it's alright. How could I not be anxious or unhappy?"

Zhou Chunwen pursed her lips: Never mind, let the old man be happy.

Shi Zhihui warmed up for a while longer, then grabbed some sunflower seeds and started munching on them: "Relative, let me tell you. My niece is absolutely wonderful. Capable, strong, and with a great temper..."

Shi Zhihui rattled off a long list of Ma Huaihua's good points, which Zhao Da'e found somewhat unbelievable. Ma Huaihua was a nice person, a good person. She did have some good points, but not as outrageous as some people thought. If you had to pinpoint Ma Huaihua's biggest advantage, it would probably be—a big bottom, meaning she could have sons.

“Relative, you know what? My son is a well-known handsome young man in the surrounding villages…” Zhou Yuren began to talk at length.

Zhao Da'e looked bewildered: Holy crap! These two are really something. Let's get down to business. It's freezing cold, and it'll be time to eat soon. We're out of white bread and dumplings at home…

In her previous life, Zhao Da'e had some connections with relatives on her mother's side. Therefore, she had heard about Shi Zhihui's character. She'd heard that Shi Zhihui was incredibly gluttonous, able to eat anything, no matter the type of food. She was also known for her thick skin. However, since this was for her cousin to act as a matchmaker, whether Zhao Da'e liked it or not, she'd probably have to pay for dinner again tonight.

With her aunt not home, all the cooking duties fell to Zhou Chunwen. Zhao Da'e, worried that her cousin would be too busy, had to go and tend the fire...

Rounding it off, Zhao Da'e really wanted to remind her uncle Zhou Yuren: hurry up and get down to business, and then hurry up and eat. She didn't want to have to listen to the matchmaker's nonsense in the middle of the night.

It wasn't that Zhao Da'e liked to renege on her promises, but since Zhou Yuren already knew Lao Ma, this whole situation was just a formality. They could have easily found another matchmaker. Of course, Zhao Da'e only thought this to herself; she couldn't say it aloud. She simply went outside to the outer room and said to Zhou Chunwen, "Big sister, it looks like we're definitely treating you to dinner tonight. Shi Zhihui's been craving something, so we probably won't be able to make mutton dumplings today; we're out of flour. I didn't buy anything today. But we still need to make something good for Shi Zhihui, so your rooster will have to die of old age."

Zhou Chunwen hurriedly said, "That won't do. I'm counting on the rooster to crow. Without the rooster crowing, I can't get up in the morning. Besides, without the rooster, the hens won't be able to hatch any chicks next year. We all have to rely on this rooster to press down the eggs."

"Then we'll have to take care of those hens. There's no other way. Couples are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. Sister, you choose: kill the rooster or the hen?"

Zhou Chunwen reluctantly made a decision, inwardly cursing Shi Zhihui for being greedy and causing his crowing rooster to die today. Although Shi Zhihui in the inner room didn't say she wanted to stay for dinner, she was the matchmaker, so no matter what, she had to be well-fed and watered.

The saying goes, "It's not that good things are bad, it's that good people are bad." For families looking to get a wife, the profession of matchmaker, or rather, the identity of a matchmaker, is crucial. A matchmaker's good words don't guarantee a marriage, but their bad words are almost guaranteed to ruin a relationship.

In Dongtaizi Village, no matter how stingy, miserly, or unapproachable you are, once you have a son and he grows up, the parents not only become more patient but also more willing to compromise and yield. They always give in first, because it involves asking for favors. In Dongtaizi Village, there's no such thing as free love when it comes to finding a wife; it all depends on matchmakers to introduce young men and women. Who knows, maybe a relative might have a suitable girl?

Even if you're the richest man in Dongtaizi Village, it's useless if you're not well-liked. When a woman comes to visit, all she hears are bad things about her. How can her parents let their daughter marry into that family? And the matchmaker has to be treated to the best food and drink.

They ate meat and vegetables three times a day, and ate rice and wheat flour as much as they wanted.

Shi Zhihui was already quite restrained, not coming to Zhou Chunwen's house repeatedly, although the distance was the main reason...

While Zhou Chunwen was busy cooking, Zhao Da'e was directing Zhou Chunhong to catch chickens.

The rooster is in the coop; catching it would be quite easy. Because at night, a rooster's eyesight is extremely poor, almost to the point of being blind. Of course, without a light, a person can't see at night either.

The Zhou family had a chicken coop by the east wall. The chickens lived in the coop. The coop was supported by a few wooden sticks, and there was a low mud wall next to it.

Zhao Da'e took a flashlight, and Zhou Chunhong went inside, grabbed the rooster by its wings, and pulled it out.

The rooster seemed to know its tragic fate was about to unfold, and it flapped its wings in fright while clucking incessantly.

Zhao Da'e shook his head: "What a waste! What a fine rooster, what a pity."

Zhou Chunhong said, "She...she...just...knew...Xuan..."

Zhao Da'e interrupted Zhou Chunhong: "Second sister, don't talk nonsense. If my uncle hears you, you'll easily get a beating. When the matchmaker comes to visit, even if he eats up the whole henhouse of chickens today, let alone just one rooster, my uncle will still be happy."

The two men, carrying chickens, approached Zhou Chunwen: "Big sister, kill the chicken."

Zhou Chunwen was busy cooking: "Then what are you two doing? Bleeding the chicken and killing it."

Zhao Da'e shrugged: "I can't, I don't kill."

Zhou Chunhong: "I...I...I...I'm afraid of blood."

Zhou Chunwen looked at them with exasperation: "You two good-for-nothings. Er Ya, you add firewood, Da E, you cook. I'll go kill the chicken."

Although Zhao Da'e is young, Zhou Chunwen had no choice but to ask him to cook for her because even dogs wouldn't eat the food Zhou Chunhong made.

Zhou Chunwen carried the chicken to the back of the house, grabbed a kitchen knife, and with a swift stroke, bled the rooster.

The rooster flapped its wings for a few more moments, making its final, death struggle, before finally dying. Zhou Chunwen then scalded it with boiling water, plucked the feathers, and cleaned its internal organs.

I washed it many times before it was clean. Finally, I cut it into pieces and soaked it in water.

Finally, I threw it into the pot, added seasonings, and simmered it over high heat. After that, I threw in some pork, wood ear mushrooms, and potato chunks, and simmered them together.

As for the staple food, I made a mixed rice dish, since there wasn't much rice available, so I had to mix the two.

Besides stewing a chicken, I also chopped some small sausages as a side dish, and fried an egg and a peanut.

In no time, the whole house was filled with the aroma of chicken.

Zhao Da'e, who had just been immersed in the idea of ​​not killing living beings, suddenly brightened up: "Big sister, add some mushrooms! Chicken stew with mushrooms is the best!"